Ralph Mupita
MTN

The Zimbabwean head of MTN, the continent’s leading mobile operator, has announced talks with the giants of tech and AI to build data-processing centres in Africa, whose capacity would then be leased to African companies and governments. MTN Genova, the South African operator’s dedicated AI arm, aims to “develop responsible AI, by and for Africans, in order to reshape Africa, lead the continent to the cutting edge of technology, and bring a bright future to new generations”. Mupita is nonetheless calling on African governments “to fundamentally reform the outdated regulations” that still govern the telecommunications sector. “Frameworks designed for the voice era risk holding back the continent’s transition to the digital economy.”